Pac-12 releases statement following departures of 5 more programs
The Pac-12 has released a statement on one of the darkest days in the conference’s history, which dates back more than 100 years.
The league lost 5 programs on Friday: Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten and Arizona, Arizona State and Utah to the Big 12. With Colorado’s departure already announced, that leaves the Pac-12 with just 4 remaining institutions for the 2024 season.
The league released the following statement on Friday:
“Today’s news is incredibly disappointing for student-athletes, fans, alumni and staff of the Pac-12 who cherish the over 100-year history, tradition and rivalries of the Conference of Champions. We remain focused on securing the best possible future for each of our member universities.”
Statement from the Pac-12 Conference: pic.twitter.com/XKwEqw9A3C
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) August 5, 2023
Stanford, Cal, Washington State and Oregon State are the only Pac-12 programs who remain with the league. It’s unclear how they will proceed moving forward.
The Pac-12, of course, still does not have a media rights agreement in place beyond the 2023-24 academic year. The Pac-12 could look to add programs from other conferences and still sign an agreement in the coming weeks. It’s also possible that the remaining universities will look to move elsewhere in the future.
As for maintaining rivalries, Washington and Oregon both said Friday that they intend to continue playing Washington State and Oregon State, respectively, in all sports.